Natural Hair Wash Regimen + Henna Treatment

I recently completed my new natural hair wash regimen and a henna treatment! It was a total success! Here is the revised breakdown of my natural hair wash day:

Step1

Prepoo: I sectioned my hair in twists and slathered it in coconut oil. Additionally, I also added some raw honey to my natural strands. I covered my hair with a heated cap and left this in for 30 minutes. 

Step 2

Shampoo: I shampooed my hair with Shea Moisture's Coconut & Hibiscus Curl  & Shine Shampoo. I mainly concentrated on cleansing my scalp, but I also let the shampoo slide down my strands.

Step 3

Condition: I conditioned my hair for 15 minutes with Shea Moisture's Coconut & Hibiscus Curl & Shine Conditioner. While this should have only been left in for 3-5 minutes, I accidentally left it in for 15 minutes.

Step 4

Henna Treatment: I used the following ingredients:

1 package of Jamila Henna

1 cup of coconut milk

1/4 cup of olive oil

I actually prepped my henna mixture the night before to allow plenty of time for the dye to release. The next morning I applied the henna to clean strands. I wrapped my hair in a heating cap and left the henna mixture on for 3.5 hours. After this time expired, I rinsed my hair out with water and there was still some henna left in my hair. With this said, I knew the next step would remove the final traces of henna. 

Step 5

Deep Condition: I deep conditioned with Eden's Body Works Jojoba Monoi All Natural Deep Conditioner. I left this on for an hour and when I rinsed it out, all traces of henna were removed.

Step 6

I then followed with the LCO method, which I will discuss in a future post. You can check out my past post on the LCO method here.

The Results:

Overall, I was impressed with this natural hair wash day and henna treatment. My natural strands actually felt moisturized, thicker, and stronger after the wash regimen and henna treatment, which is not always the case! I will definitely be doing this again in another month! 

Don't forget to check out my previous post here on habits for natural hair growth!

Until next time...

Be faith-filled, fearless, and fabulous,

Kurly Ken 

Healthy Habits for Natural Hair Growth, Part 2

Hey all, 

Before reading today's post, make sure you check out last week's post, which is part 1. It can be found here. 

Last week's post dealt with habits for healthy hair growth from the scalp! So today's post is part 2, and it will deal with habits for length retention! 

Without further adoo, let's get to it!

Part 2: Habits for Length Retention:

In addition to healthy hair growth from the scalp, most naturals want to retain and maintain the current hair they have. Here are some habits you can do right now to help retain  the current natural hair you have. 

1. Moisturize, moisturize, and moisturize some more! Even if you spritz your natural hair with water or actually do the LCO/LOC method, moisturize those strands. In a future post, I'll be discussing my LCO method, and I can't wait to share those details (as well as results) with you!

2.  Low manipulation and protective hair styles are key. The less you manipulate your hair, the fewer instances you will have for hair breakage! Examples of low manipulation/ protective hair styles includes buns, twists, flat braids/flat twists, braids, wigs, and weaves. And even when your hair is in these styles, you still have to care for your hair so shampooing, conditioning and moisturizing should still be taking place! 

3. Being gentle with your hair is the last habit. If you have to manipulate your hair, then take your time and be gentle as you work with it. Often times, when I am most tired, I am the roughest on my hair. I have learned to put it in a puff and leave it alone. Also, I typically use my fingers rather than styling tools like combs and brushes. Nothing against them, but my fingers create less wear and tear.

Let me know your thoughts for length retention! Definitely share them below.

Until next time...

Be faith-filled, fearless, and fabulous,

Kurly Ken 

Healthy Habits for Natural Hair Growth, Part 1

For many naturals, healthy hair growth is a common goal, and personally, I am one of those naturals. My hair growth goal is not necessarily for length, but it is for the overall benefits of healthy hair. With healthy hair growth, hair can be thicker, stronger, and shinier! Who doesn't want that!?!

In addition to getting healthy hair to grow from the scalp, one must also know how to maintain the current hair they have to see the maximum results for overall healthy hair. There is nothing worse than experiencing 1/4 to 1/2 an inch of healthy hair growth, and losing that growth to poor hair maintenance and practices. Therefore, length retention practices are vital to maintaining healthy hair as well!

To discuss the habits, I have broken healthy hair growth down into two categories: 

1.) Habits for healthy hair growth from the scalp 

2.) Habits for length retention 

In today's post, we will discuss habits for healthy hair growth from the scalp, and the next post will serve as part 2, covering habits for length retention.

Habits for Healthy Hair Growth from the Scalp:

1. Cleaning your scalp is critical to hair growth. Hair can't grow as effectively when there is dirt and gunk clogging the pores on your scalp so keep your scalp clean. In the past, I didn't shampoo my hair. Instead, I would clarify my scalp with an apple cider vinegar and water mixture (You can see more about my natural hair wash regimen here). But lately, with working out more, I have been reaching for Shea Moisture's Coconut Hibiscus Curl and Shine Shampoo. This shampoo is gentle so it doesn't strip my hair and make it feel dry. It leaves my curls soft and smelling oh so wonderful. Not to mention, my scalp game is on point! 

2. Scalp massages are the next habit, and a daily scalp massage can help to stimulate the blood in the scalp, increasing circulation and promoting hair growth. Just grab your favorite oil, employ those finger tips, and get to massaging! To help pass time as a I massage my scalp, I like to watch YouTube videos and let my fingers do the work! Check out my post here on natural hair Youtubers you should be watching!!

3. Drinking water is the third habit, and honestly, everyone knows about the benefits of water. However, most people still don't do it. Drinking half your body weight of water can help to moisturize your strands from the inside out and also helps to flush out any toxins in your system that might be hindering healthy hair growth. 

4. Eating healthy is the next habit. We hear the phrase: "You are what you eat", but have you truly accepted it. Whatever you put in your body is what comes out of your body. Simply stated: If you eat junk, your body produces less than stellar results, which may be evident in your overall health, weight, skin appearance and hair. Your body needs its share of carbs, proteins and other nutrients to help it repair and grow. So stop and evaluate the things that you are putting in your body. Ask yourself: "Will this food be beneficial to my body and hair growth?"  Now, in all honesty, I ask myself this question, and sometimes, I still give into whatever sweet treat it is that I may be craving. Everyone is entitled to a treat every now and then! I'm not saying you have to eat healthy 100% of the time, but I am saying to make better choices so that your overall food choices reflect healthy eating habits! One of my favorite ways to consume multiple nutrients at once is through a smoothie (You can read  this post here on one of my favorite go to smoothies that has a multiple vitamins and nutrients to promote healthy hair growth). 
5. Exercise is the final habit! Exercise is known to increase blood flow and again, increased blood flow promotes hair growth! NUFF SAID!!!!

These were some practical habits that can help promote healthy hair growth from the scalp. Of course, there are other methods that can also help with healthy hair growth and if you have some additional methods, please feel free to comment down below. 

Also, check out my past post on healthy hair growth and length retention (HERE), and stay tuned for part 2 of this post! 

Until next time,

Be faith-filled, fearless, and fabulous,

Kurly Ken